When the Stars Align
by Lost to the Hoping
Summary: True love is like when the stars align; it's brilliant, it's explosive and- sometimes it stalks you? ItaSak, InoSasu, nonmassacre AU, oneshot. Please review! Cover belongs to byShamora on dA!


**When ****the ****Stars ****Align**

**Fandom****: ****Naruto**

**Summary****: ****True ****love ****is ****like ****when ****the ****stars ****align****; ****it's ****brilliant****, ****it's ****explosive ****and****- ****sometimes ****it ****stalks ****you****?**

**Pairing****: ****ItaSaku****, ****InoSasu**

**CU****- ****nonmassacre**

xXx

Our story starts on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, in an out-of-the-way cafe called simply 'Shiori's'. No one knew _why_ it was named 'Shiori's', as the owner was not named Shiori, nor was his daughter, wife, sister, cousin, mother, aunt, grandmother, best friend... et cetera et cetera. And when asked why, he would merely smile knowingly and make up some excuse to be somewhere else, so eventually everyone had given up asking.

But that is neither here nor there, and is simply an amusing little side-tale to the real story. The only reason it is in the least bit relevant is that our _real_ story starts in this cafe. Shiori's.

It starts, specifically, in one of the booths right up against the windows in the front of the cafe, furthest from the door with a good view of the entire cafe, sans the insides of the bathroom, a corner of the kitchen, a broom closet and about three inches that were blocked every few minutes or so by patrons coming and going via the door.

The best location in the cafe for a well-seasoned nin to sit and enjoy themselves without completely letting down their guard.

And it is in this booth where Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura are enjoying afternoon tea as they catch up after nearly a month of little to no contact, due to duties in the hospital and out on the field respectively. The two are chatting idly about Ino's home and flower shop when the blonde abruptly cuts off her tirade on daisies, gaze fixed outside.

Sakura followed her line of sight, and her eyebrows swept up her larger-than-normal forehead at the sight that met her eyes. Across the street stood a small shop that sold trinkets, mostly of the frilly variety that was favored by civilians. This was not what caught the two kunoichi's interest. It was the man peeking uncomfortably through the window of said shop.

"I heard he's been seeing Mitarashi Anko."

Ino's voice snapped Sakura's attention back onto her friend, to find that the blonde was still watching the man with absolutely no subtlety at all. "Oh?" Sakura asked. "She's not a frilly trinket kind of person."

"Should we break the news to him?" Ino asked, eying the man oddly.

Sakura returned her gaze to find that he was inching toward the door, looking like he was trying to draw up the courage to actually go in. Finally, though, he stopped, shook his head and stepped back. Both girls exhaled in relief. "It's a shame he's taken," Ino continued, sighing regretfully. "He really is cute. And apparently sweet, according to Sasuke-kun."

"You're talking to Sasuke again?" Sakura asked with some surprise. Last she'd heard, the two were 'off again', due to Sasuke being an arrogant, stick-up-his-ass, Uchiha perfectionist. Ino's words, not Sakura's- though the pink-haired kunoichi tended to agree at times anyway.

Ino nodded without averting her gaze from the slight spectacle the man across the street was making of himself. He was apparently back to indecision of entering the shop. "Yeah. He showed up on my doorstep with roses and a book of poems."

"Sasuke?" Sakura prodded. "As in Uchiha Sasuke? Like, the heir to the Uchiha household? That Sasuke?"

Ino shot her a lukewarm glare. "Yes 'that Sasuke'. Who else?"

"Poems," Sakura replied bluntly.

The blonde didn't hear her, as she was already talking again. "Ouch, he went in. Someone should save him."

"Not!" Sakura chirped.

"It," Ino added quickly.

"Oh, you bitch," Sakura groused, but got up. "I'll be right back." She got halfway through the cafe before stopping. "What's his name again?" she called back, at a loss.

"Shisui," her blonde friend replied. "Good luuucck!"

"Fuck you." Sakura rolled her eyes and trotted out of the cafe, across the street and up to the trinket shop door. There, she paused and glanced back, hoping for a last-minute save. But Ino, watching from behind the slightly tinted glass of the cafe, just gave her a jaunty wave and didn't budge. Sakura stuck her tongue out and entered the shop.

She found the errant Uchiha quickly, perusing a rack of necklaces. He turned slightly as she neared, and blinked. "Oh, you're Sasuke-chan's old teammate," he said, recognizing her instantly. It was hard not to, what with being the Hokage's apprentice and all.

"Yes, hi, I'm Sakura. Shisui, right?" she asked with a sweet-but-completely-forced smile.

He smirked back at her. "Yup. Did you want something?"

"Well... actually... um, I'm sorta friends with your girlfriend... you and Anko are still dating right?" she hurriedly added. Didn't want to make a fool of herself.

He visibly brightened. "Oh! That's great! Maybe you can help me out. That cranky lady won't let on what she wants for her birthday, so maybe-"

"Nothing frilly. Or girly. Try dango, tea and maybe sex," Sakura interrupted in a deadpan.

Shisui cast her a startled look. "... oh. Uh..." He coughed. "Really? She'd uh... be into... oh..."

It was Sakura's time to be surprised. "You two have been dating a while, and you haven't... you know...?"

He laughed, but it was a forced sound. "Um, no... We haven't. She... well, she's really busy a lot..."

_Oh __you __poor __thing_, she thought, inwardly wincing. Anko wasn't _that_ busy. Sakura knew this for a fact, as she saw her near daily hanging around the jonin station. "Oh... um... right..." She cleared her throat and shifted, looking down. "Then, um... maybe some weapons. Or poisons... She likes snake venom too..." She paused. "And maybe take her out sparring, you know... she likes causing pain..."

Shisui huffed a half-laugh, half-whimper. "Right," he said, and cleared his throat.

Sakura politely pretended not to hear the squeakiness. "Good. Well. You uh... you have a nice day, Shi- er, Uchiha-san... Yes. Wonderful day."

"Yes, you too," he said, shifting.

They stood there for a beat, just looking around, anywhere but at each other. And then Sakura abruptly turned- and nearly ran into someone. She flailed and stepped back, rubbing her nose. "OI! Watch where you're going, you-" And then she looked up to see her attacker... and cut off abruptly at the impassive dark-eyed gaze meeting her own.

He merely blinked at her, but Shisui perked with some measure of relief. "Itachi! Great. Just the guy I wanted to see."

The newcomer turned his gaze from Sakura, who was unabashedly staring in bewilderment, and quirked a brow slowly at his relative. "Yes?" he asked softly, no inflection in his voice at all.

Over Itachi's shoulder, movement caught her attention. Ino stood just outside the door, gesturing frantically for Sakura to join her. Sakura coughed. "Right! Good bye," she said quickly, and walked away. Just slow enough to not be obvious about escaping, and quick enough to get the fuck out of there.

"Yeah, anyway, sorry about that, just talkin-" Shisui's voice cut off as Sakura shut the door behind her.

"Oh my god," Ino squeaked. "Cafe. Cafe, _now_!" She grabbed her friend and dragged her back across the street, through the door and to their table. "Were you just talking to Uchiha Itachi!" she yelped as soon as they were seated, and leaned across the table practically in her friend's face.

Sakura groaned and dropped her head onto the surface of the table. "No, more like staring at him like he was a freakshow."

"What did he say to you!" Ino demanded immediately, as if Sakura hadn't said a word.

"Nothing. He was talking to Shisui-san," Sakura admitted. "And all he said was 'yes'."

Ino bounced excitedly up and down in her seat. "Oh my god! Was it like 'yes!' or 'yes?' or 'yes'," she demanded, pitching her voice differently for each one.

Sakura shook her head, amused, and sat up. "More like 'Yes?'" she replied, deepening her voice to almost a caress.

The blonde shivered in delight. "Do it again!" she goaded.

Her friend couldn't help but giggle. "Yes," she repeated, and laughed when Ino pretended to spasm.

"Oh god, that guy is a walking orgasm!" the blonde gasped, and giggled dementedly.

"You are such a freak," the rosette kunoichi retorted, grinning.

Ino smirked and leaned forward. "Yes, yes I am. But you love me anyway!"

Sakura grinned and changed the subject. No need for Ino to get a big head.

xXx

Two weeks later, Sakura found herself watching a strange event happen. She had been shopping for groceries when she spied a semi-familiar Uchiha walking down the street, looking like he was either lost or had just been asked the answer to life, the universe and everything. Sakura wondered briefly if she should tell him '42' and run away giggling.

Then he was looking back at her. She blinked, and lifted both brows when he turned bodily and started her way. She turned her head to look behind her, searching for perhaps one of his cousins, aunts, uncles whatever. Maybe Sasuke. But there was no other Uchiha in sight, and when she looked again, he was stopping in front of her.

The two just sort of stood there staring at each other for several long minutes. She continued to blink at him, and he just stared. She tilted her head. He shifted fractionally. Her brows lifted. "Am I in your way?" she asked, and glanced down to make sure she wasn't standing on anything that might belong to him.

"No," he said, dismissing that thought.

"Okay... um... did you need something?" she asked.

"... no," he replied again.

Sakura felt a frown tugging at her mouth. "Um... alright..." She glanced behind her again, just to make sure Sasuke hadn't snuck up and was standing behind her making faces.

Of course, this wasn't the case, so she turned back to him again. And stared.

Finally, he spoke. "You are my brother's teammate." It was a deadpan statement, made more for clarification than anything else. When she nodded, he mimicked her and turned away.

She watched him walk off in complete and utter bewilderment. "What the heck?"

xXx

It happened again. Not the 'they just stood there staring and saying nothing' part. The 'they seemed to randomly run into each other' part. Itachi was walking down the street and crossed paths with her as she was on her way home from a thirty six hour shift at the hospital. He stopped the second he saw her, and instantly changed direction, heading toward her.

She also drew to a stop, waiting for him to meet her, and blinked at him. "Hello, Uchiha-san," she greeted bemusedly. "Where are you off to?"

He didn't say anything at first, but then he shook his head. "Nowhere," he said, and didn't wait for the next obvious question to clarify. "I was taking a walk."

"Oh, I see," she said doubtfully.

"You look tired," he said suddenly, and if she didn't know better, she'd think he had just... _blurted_ it out. Like it crossed his mind and escaped the notice of his mind-to-mouth filter.

She blinked at him. "Yes. I had a long shift at the hospital," she replied.

"Oh." He stared at her for a moment longer, before nodding and walking away.

Sakura watched him go for the second time, brow furrowed in complete confusion. "Okay, that is just way too weird," she told herself.

But there was nothing more to glean from the odd encounter, especially since it was over with, so she just shook her head and went home.

xXx

These strange meetings continued to happen over the next month and a half. Itachi would walk up to her at random intervals, always when she was alone, always when she was walking home, and start conversations. Or just stare. Sometimes he just stared. His behavior was completely at odds with everything she'd ever heard or witnessed about him. Sometimes he would act rather casual, and then others he would be awkward and almost reluctant, speaking to her or not.

But there was one thing that was obvious, to her at least. Uchiha Itachi was deliberately seeking her out. At first, she'd labeled the encounters as accident, then coincidence. But after the fourth time it happened, she was no longer convinced that he was just innocently crossing paths with her.

And after about the fifth time, he stopped pretending to. The sixth time, he even followed her on the rooftops for ten minutes before he approached. She asked Sasuke if he knew anything about it, but her teammate just looked at her like she'd lost her marbles and made up some excuse to run away.

So she shortly concluded that this behavior was out of character for the mostly quiet man.

When they spoke, he would ask her the randomest of questions, often in the form of a statement. She drew the line at toiletries, and abruptly spun around to poke him in the chest. "Stop stalking me," she said firmly, glaring. "Or I will put you through a wall." He just blinked at her fearlessly, so she gave him a firmer glare before leaving him watching after her.

That had been the month and a half mark. After that, he stopped stalking her. Instead, he walked in front of her. Somewhere along the line, she stopped paying him any attention and wrote it off as weird but more or less harmless, and even started to forget he was there at all.

Until her teacher brought it up.

"Sakura, why is Uchiha Itachi on the roof?" the Hokage asked, having met her student at Shiori's for tea.

Sakura blinked. "Oh, the roof? It's cold out, though. I would have thought he'd have the sense to come in and at least sit down," she mused, like this was perfectly normal.

Tsunade did not find this in the least bit reassuring, and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. "Actually, I meant, why is he always nearby whenever I see you these days?"

She blinked. "Oh it _can__'__t_ be every time!" she protested. "He has missions, doesn't he?"

The Hokage actually paused at that, staring at Sakura like she was mentally challenged. "Yes. He has missions. And he does them the same as always," she answered after it became obvious that Sakura had actually meant that as a question in need of answering. "But when he's not on a mission, or sleeping, he's stalking you. Kakashi's mentioned it, and so has Naruto. Sasuke refuses to comment and always changes the subject. Ino finds it funny, and Hinata... well, she's too busy stalking Naruto half the time to notice."

Sakura blinked again. "Hinata stalks Naruto?" Tsunade glared at her, and she shrugged helplessly. "What do you want me to say? Maybe he thinks I'm pretty."

"You're not worried about this at _all_?" Tsunade prodded.

The pinkette sighed and sipped at her tea. "Well, I was, at first," she admitted. "But he doesn't do anything, and he doesn't really try to hide that he's stalking me. At least he's honest about it."

"Does he ever _say_ anything?" the Hokage asked. "He doesn't watch you while you're sleeping, or anything weird like that, does he?"

"Oh, no," Sakura quickly reassured her. "No, he usually leaves around sundown. And yes, sometimes we talk. It's usually pretty random, actually. What kind of chapstick I like, who makes my favorite foods the best, when I'd prefer Winter to start. Really random, and he usually wanders off after a few minutes."

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Just be careful. I can never read that man. I tried confronting him about it, but he didn't say much. Kakashi told him to stay away from you, you know."

Sakura's brows arched, and her temper spiked briefly before she stuffed it back down. "Did he, now? And what did Itachi-san say?"

"'No'," Tsunade replied wryly. "And when Kakashi insisted, he added 'only if that's what she wants'. Do you want him to leave you alone?"

Sakura thought about it, very hard. She considered saying yes, she considered saying no, and she considered just changing the subject. Finally, though, she just gave another helpless shrug. "I don't know."

"How can you not know? Doesn't him stalking you get annoying?" Tsunade demanded, frowning.

"Nope," Sakura said instantly, and was a little surprised to realize it was the truth. It didn't actually bother her. Even that time she'd gotten huffy at him and threatened to beat him up, she hadn't actually been annoyed.

Honey-colored brows swept upwards. "No?" Tsunade echoed. "Not at all?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not a bit."

Though she clearly questioned Sakura's sanity, Tsunade let it go.

xXx

But the conversation stuck in Sakura's mind, worming its way to the very top of her list of important things to think about, and finally she decided to get the answers she should have gotten two months ago.

Just as the sun started to set, Sakura stepped out on her porch, catching Itachi as he turned to leave. He stopped and looked back at her. She smiled and turned around, going back inside and leaving the door open.

When she brought the tea into the living room, the door had been shut and Itachi was standing on the mat in front of it, looking almost fidgety. She smiled again and nodded toward the couch. "Have a seat, Itachi-san." He hesitated, and her eyes narrowed. "Sit."

He toed off his shoes and padded over to the couch, sitting gingerly, just out of her reach. She relaxed and poured him a cup of tea. "Do you take sugar?" she asked, and when he nodded, she smiled again. "How much?"

"Two spoons," he said reluctantly.

"Milk? No? Creamer? No, alright." She handed him the cup, fixed herself some - milk but no sugar - and sat down on the couch with him. Silence lapsed between them for a few moments before she spoke again. "So, Itachi-san, why are you stalking me?"

He choked on his tea, and quickly lowered it. Then he just stared at her. She sighed and set down her tea, then smiled at him. "Please, I won't get mad. Explain this very random situation to me? People are beginning to become concerned, and I'd really rather not have Naruto trying to rip your head off without knowing why." She paused, and then shrugged. "I'd at least like to have reasoning, you realize. Senseless violence tends to end badly."

Itachi blinked at her. "I like you," he replied finally.

"Why?" she asked without missing a beat.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I just do."

She nodded slowly, and sighed. "Well, that's... very sweet of you, but-"

"You didn't let me finish," he added quietly, and she stopped. When it became obvious she wasn't going to interrupt again, he continued. "The... stalking. Was to find out if I liked you, or thought you were physically attractive."

Sakura's brows lifted at that. "And what did you find out?"

"Both."

"Oh." She gave him a bemused look. "You _could_ have just asked me out like a normal person."

He actually looked like he was thinking about that very, very hard, and she bit her lip to keep from grinning. That was so fucking cute. Finally he looked at her. "Would you like to have dinner?"

She burst into very loud laughter, covering her face with both hands, and he just blinked at her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cackled. "I'm... not laughing at you... You're just... heheh..." She shook her head and tried to rein in her amusement. "Sorry. Yes, yes I'll have dinner with you," she said, smiling. "Just... next time? Ask for the dinner first. So people don't think you're a creeper."

"I don't care what people think," he replied bluntly.

She was brought up short by that, but she realized it was true. He hadn't tried to hide stalking her. Not to mention that he had flatly refused the title of heir for his family after the coup d'etat fiasco several years ago. According to Sasuke, he was furious with his family for nearly putting the village in danger like that. Not that she blamed him.

Still, that right there told her that he very obviously did not care what people thought. So she gave him a smile and nodded. "Good."

xXx

The date went well. Good food, decent company, relaxing atmosphere... Sakura finally set down her fork, after finishing a delightful dessert. "Okay, Itachi-san, why are we so quiet? We're supposed to talk, get to know each other. That's the entire purpose for a date. Also, why is your mother and brother stalking our every move?"

Itachi did not look to see what she meant; he'd known they were there since he'd left his apartment not far from the Uchiha compound. They weren't _that_ good. "I don't know," he said flatly, not answering the first question. Truthfully, he'd been a bit nervous, and was Sakura always this intimidating?

Sakura gave him a look. "You don't know? You're one of the best ninja in the village, and you don't know why they're following us?"

He shifted a bit guiltily. "They are... emotionally invested in my romantic affairs," he said quietly.

She grinned at that. "You mean they're your personal fans? That's so fucking cute!" she said, and laughed when he grimaced.

"Yes, yes, lower your voice," he hissed, darting a glance toward the hiding place of his mother and sibling. "She is not above coming over here if we let on that we know she's there."

"Ooh?" Sakura smiled. "Shall we escape, then, Itachi-san?"

He gave her a startled look, then smiled. "Yes."

And before they knew it, the two had paid... and vanished. "Dammit!" Mikoto said, and scowled when her youngest son gave her a scandalized look. "What? I'm allowed to be upset too!"

Sasuke blinked and mumbled, trying to come up with a reason why she couldn't... but she huffed when he couldn't come up with a single one. "Now," she said decisively. "Wedding contracts..."

"They're not even dating yet," Sasuke protested, following his mother.

"They were just on a date, dear!" Mikoto replied sweetly.

He rolled his eyes where she couldn't see. "A date. One. Singular. Dat_ing_ suggests they've done so more than once."

"He was stalking her."

"That doesn't count."

"..."

"Oh gods."

xXx

Somehow, the duo made it back to Sakura's apartment without being caught, and collapsed laughing once they were inside. Well, mostly Sakura laughing. Itachi was just smiling a bit. "I can't believe we did that," she said, leaning heavily against his side as she tried to reign in her mirth.

"Mother will never let me live it down," he said, but was still smiling.

She beamed and turned her eyes up to him. "Yeah, but it was awesome," she said dryly.

He nodded, eyes on her mouth, no longer smiling. "May I kiss you?" he asked abruptly.

It sounded like he'd just blurted again, but Sakura scarcely noticed. She nodded slowly, her eyes fluttering closed when he lowered his mouth to hers. Her knees wanted to buckle, but she locked them, even as he cupped her face and teased the seam of her lips with his tongue. She let out a breathy moan and clung to him, opening her mouth for him. His tongue darted inside, slowly, languidly mapping out the contours of her mouth.

When neither could last any longer without breath - Sakura even felt sort of faint - he pulled away. "Wow," he murmured softly, and she giggled.

"Yeah. Wow. Where'd you learn to kiss like that?" she asked, bewildered.

Was it just her, or did he... "You're blushing!" she yelped, and gripped his shirt harder when he tried to pull away. "Gods... You're so freaking cute."

He frowned. "I am not," he protested.

She smiled. "You so are," she replied softly, and leaned up for another kiss.

xXx

_BANG __BANG __BANG __BANG__!_

Sakura yelped and sat up straight in bed, awoken by the loud pounding on her door. Beside her, Itachi had rolled off the bed and assumed a fighting stance, but Sakura just groaned and got up. "I'll be right back. You can relax. It's just Ino."

He obliged and nodded, sitting down and covering himself with the blanket. She got dressed and hurried out to the living room, jerking open the door. "What."

Ino rocked back on her heels. "Oh my god, Sakura, you have a monster hickey."

Sakura scowled at her. "I hope that's not what you woke me up to say," she replied.

The blonde shook her head, but now her interest was invested, and she wasn't about to drop it. "So? Who's the lucky boy? Is he cute?" Pause. "It's not Naruto, is it?"

"What? Are you out of your mind?" Sakura demanded, giving the blonde a startled look. "Naruto's... like this... pesky little brother that follows me around like a puppy-"

"Oh. My. God," Ino whispered, jaw dropping as she looked past Sakura.

The rosette kunoichi grimaced and turned, to find Itachi standing in the entrance to the hall. He appeared to be very uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "Good morning, Yamanaka-san," he mumbled.

Her jaw snapped closed. "Sak! This way! You, gorgeous, stay here." She grabbed Sakura's arm and manhandled her out the door.

"Be right back!" Sakura yelped, dragging the door shut behind her, and stumbled down the steps after Ino. "Ouch, that hurts!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Uchiha Itachi? You know if you two get married, we'll be sisters?" Ino ranted.

Sakura blinked. "Eh?"

Ino shoved her left hand in Sakura's face, and Sakura yelped. "Oh my god, that rock!" she yelped giddily, and Ino squeaked happily before the two hugged and jumped up and down excitedly. "Congrats! Oh my god, this is so awesome!"

Ino nodded and beamed at her, then redirected the course of their conversation. She had priorities, after all. "Okay, now, Itachi. _Spill_."

Sakura actually turned bright red, clashing horribly with her hair. "Oh, that... Well, he asked me out on a date... I said yes..."

"Last I heard, he was stalking you," Ino pointed out. "That's creepy."

"Well, he's very sweet... and a bit on the social awkward side, I think," Sakura mused.

Ino rolled her eyes and shook her head, waving a hand dismissively. "Okay, fine, whatever. _Why_ is he in your house first thing in the morning, and is that hickey his expertise?"

The rosette kunoichi turned red again. "Oh... um... yes? I think. It's all a bit of a blur..."

"You don't remember?" Ino asked flatly.

"Oh! No, that's not- I _do_," Sakura hastened to assure her. "I just... I'm not about to go into the ecchi details to you."

Ino grinned. "You had sex on your first date?"

"If you count the stalking, that would be our twentieth," Sakura replied meekly, in a cloud of embarrassment.

"You were keeping _count_?" Ino squeaked.

"... yes?"

"Oh MY GOD!"

"Ow! Eardrums!"

"Busted!"

"Exactly!"

Sakura swatted the blonde as a means of getting her to calm down, but Ino just danced away, jumping around like some demented puppy. "This is so awesome! Oh my god!"

"Would you stop saying that!" Sakura retorted, wanting to sink into the ground.

"No way!"

"Ino!"

"Be my Maid of Honor," Ino retorted, bringing Sakura up short. When she got no response, other than stunned staring, she scoffed. "No, seriously! I want you to be my Maid of Honor! Really, really, Sak! Please?"

Sakura smiled slowly, and nodded with a big happy grin. "Nothing would ever mean more to me."

xXx

"What's your favorite color?" Sakura asked, laying on the grass beneath a tree and staring up into its boughs.

Laying beside her, the Uchiha blinked slowly. "Green," he replied after a beat, and she smiled. "What is yours?"

"Red," she answered. "It's vibrant."

"It would clash with your hair," he remarked offhandedly, glancing at the silky fall splayed out around her head.

She pouted and turned her face toward him. "That's mean."

"Oh. I'm sorry," he replied blankly.

The rosette kunoichi scoffed and resumed her leaf-watching. "What about your favorite food?"

"Dango."

"You like sweets?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded, suppressing a smile at her reaction. "Yes. Sasuke finds it disgusting."

"Sasuke's an idiot," she retorted, and was rewarded with a chuckle. She rolled over onto her side, looming over him a bit, but he didn't appear to mind. "I like that," she announced, and at his brow-quirk that was really just Uchiha language for requesting clarification, she rolled her eyes. "You. Laughing. You don't laugh enough. Why?"

"I laugh," he replied, bemused. "I just did."

"Yeah, but... that's like a once a month occurrence!" she insisted. "If I had a ryou for every time you laughed, I couldn't buy a stick!"

His brows lifted, and the corners of his mouth turned upward. "Is that so?"

"Mmhm! Not even a stick." She nodded sagely.

"What is _your_ favorite food?" he asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject.

She huffed but let it go, resuming her sprawl beside him. "Um... Gyoza," she said, naming a dumpling dish.

He smiled. "I haven't had Gyoza in a very long time. Mother used to make it sometimes."

"Oh, right, you live alone, huh?" she murmured.

Itachi nodded. "Who is your favorite teacher in the Academy?"

"Iruka. Yours?" she asked with a grin, moving to watch his face again.

"Iruka," he answered, echoing the grin.

She rolled her eyes and nudged him. "He's everyone's favorite teacher."

"He's only a little bit older than me," Itachi admitted. "He didn't teach my class."

"Oh? Then how come you like him?"

"He's nice," Itachi responded. "And that was your answer."

She swatted his arm and laughed. "Cheater!"

They lapsed into silence for a little while, Sakura picking up a leaf and slowly shredding it at the veins. Once it couldn't be torn any more, she let it fall and looked at Itachi to find him watching her face. "What?" she asked, a bit embarrassed by the scrutiny.

"You look..." He stopped, brow furrowing. "Golden."

She blinked, and both brows arched. "What does that mean?"

"The sunlight," he clarified, as she lay half in a patch of it. "It makes your skin look golden."

"Oh." She poked around for another leaf, and found a stick instead. Sitting up, she got out a kunai and attempted to use it to carve the stick, with limited success.

"I've made you uncomfortable," he said, and sighed.

She shook her head. "No," she replied. "Thank you, for the compliment. I think."

"You're welcome." He sat up and nudged her chin, drawing her attention back to him. "Do you... like this? Seeing me? I won't force you to see me if that's not-"

"No!" she gasped, surprised by the suddenness of his apparent insecurity. "No, no, that's not it at all, Itachi. I do like seeing you. Of course I like seeing you. You're sweet, and kind, and have a sense of humor, and you really do seem to care. Not just about me, but... but about everything. I _saw_ that bully incident in the park the other day."

Itachi shifted guiltily at being caught. "Oh."

She smiled. "I think you're wonderful, Itachi..."

"Then why do you sound as if you are trying to convince yourself?" the Uchiha asked softly.

Her face fell. Of course he would notice. It was Uchiha freaking Itachi, prodigy and golden boy of the Konoha village. He-who-sees-everything, according to Sasuke. She sighed and tossed away the shredded stick, poking at the ground with her kunai instead. "No, it's just... Well, Ino and I were talking- well, mostly Ino was talking... And she made some random, not-related-at-all comments that made me start thinking... And now I'm having a really hard time believing that the nicest guy I have ever met - or at least, the nicest sane guy..." She shook her head. "Well... I mean, why like your brother's old fangirl?"

He eyed her. "That's it?" he asked, and she realized he was incredulous. "I understand that your... affection for my brother has passed into that of one teammate to another."

"You mean 'he's like a brother to me'?" she asked, peeking up at him with a grin. "Well, yeah. That's right. But why would _you_ like me?" She paused and shook her head. "No, why _do_ you like me?" After all, it was pretty damn obvious that he did.

"I see," he murmured, in that skeptical way that Kakashi-sensei sometimes did. Unlike with her sensei, though, it didn't make her want to smack him. "Why would I _not_ like you, Sakura? I find you... rather charming."

She blinked at him. "That's it?" she echoed him unthinkingly. "Charming?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Sakura burst into bright laughter, prompting her boyfriend to quirk a grin. "That's amazing!" she cackled, swatting his arm. "Gods, you're hilarious."

He sat up, giving her an arch look that she would expect to see on any other Uchiha's face but his. "Careful, Sakura, my noble Uchiha ego may become harmed. I could combust."

This, of course, had the effect he was looking for, and before long the pink-haired kunoichi was all but rolling on the ground laughing. She could just _picture_ it! "Poof!" she gasped, and dissolved into further laughter.

Itachi smiled as he watched her.

Abruptly, she rolled over onto her back, calming, and quirked a finger. Bemusedly, he leaned down, and blinked when she dragged him into a kiss. He didn't resist.

When they parted, she was staring up at him, some unnamed emotion in her light eyes. "Itachi?"

"Mm?" He couldn't move back again; she hadn't let go yet.

"Let me see it." He didn't answer, but she knew he knew what she meant. "Please."

Sighing, Itachi closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were crimson and black, intense in a way she could never remember Sasuke's being. Ever. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes met hers. He just waited. "I bet it's pretty strong," she whispered after a moment.

His eyes moved away. "Yes." There wasn't a single trace of arrogance or smugness to the statement. It was just that. A statement. A fact.

"Look at me."

Itachi reluctantly met her gaze again, face expressionless, and was surprised when she leaned up and kissed the corners of both eyes. Then she kissed his mouth again, and he slowly relaxed.

Yes, he found her very charming indeed.

xXx

It was a month later, three days after Sasuke and Ino got married and left for their Honeymoon, that Sakura woke up in the middle of the night. Her hand was over her mouth, stifling a mortified scream. Her breathing was gasping and rapid, half strangled. But her whimpering was the loudest in the unnatural stillness.

That was what tipped her off, and her fingers slid beneath her pillow, grasping the kunai she kept there. Green eyes darted around, and she finally noticed him. Still and nearly blending in with the darkness, wearing an awful black cloak with lighter clouds. And a mask. A horrible, horrible mask.

She'd seen it in her dreams. It terrified her, that mask. The man behind it. What he did to her Itachi, in her dreams.

"Who are you?" she whispered, muscles tensing to toss the blanket at the first opportunity.

He didn't answer, merely stepped forward. She caught his gaze, from the only visible eye. And knew no more.

xXx

It took her three whole hours to fight her way out of the Genjutsu. And then an hour longer to regain consciousness. After that, she feigned sleep for an entire day as she slowly healed her injuries by regulating her chakra to spread evenly inside her body.

Then she got up, and broke down the door of the prison cell.

Outside, the blond keeping watch nearly fell right out of his chair in shock. But he was a ninja, if nothing else, and threw a kunai her way. She dodged it, and the butterfly that tried to blow up her face.

Long story short, she eventually ended up knocking the bastard through a window. After that, she didn't run into another soul - _it __was __probably __just __the __two __of __them__, __then_, she thought distantly - before she made it outside and stopped.

A man stood in her way. He was _blue_, with dark eyes, gills and a shark-like grin. "Hey, Sasori, she seems spirited. Should I just knock her out? We could use the entertainment."

A large man - that she almost hadn't noticed off to the left - shifted. "Do what you want. I have nothing to do at the moment."

The blue man laughed and pulled a huge sword from his back. "How much longer till someone comes for her, you think? Gotta couple days, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. They obviously didn't know who her boyfriend was. "Why did you kidnap me?" she demanded, fingers curling into fists.

"Eh, that was all Tobi. Dunno what the hell that fucker's thinking, doing that, but whatever. Seems like fun, right?" The blue guy grinned. "By the way, I'm Kisame." He paused and looked at his partner. "It's polite to introduce yourself, right? So introduce yourself!"

The other man glared, but only got a grin for his trouble. "Sasori."

"I'd gathered," she retorted, and just stared back unflinchingly when he turned that glare onto her.

"... kill her," Sasori said. "We'll deal with Tobi's complaining. I don't think he cares anyway."

Sakura dodged the sudden, fast strike from Kisame, eyes wide. But that was as far as the fight went. Before either could make another move, there was a streak of yellow and a familiar cry of, "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, TTEBAYO!"

An iron band wrapped around her waist, jerking her backward, and another blur flashed past, crackling energy like a lightning rod. Team Seven, to Sakura's rescue. And Kakashi off to the side, engaging the newly reappeared blond bomber.

All of it happening so fast, chaos.

And the one holding her-

"Sakura." A whisper in her ear as they came to a stop in a tree, and she turned, kissing Itachi stupid.

"I'm okay," she promised. "Don't worry about me. Find Tobi. He's an Uchiha, I think. He's got the Sharringan."

His eyes, red and tomoes spinning, narrowed. "Understood. You're to pull back to a safe distance and wait. If there are injuries or risk of death, you may intervene if necessary, but not if it will kill you. Am I clear?"

She wanted to fight. Wanted to tell him that she could help. But she knew that if she distracted him now, he could get hurt. So she swallowed the impulse and nodded. "Itachi? Come back."

He gave her a brief kiss, smiled faintly and took off. She heaved a sigh once he was gone, leaning against the tree a beat before obeying his orders and backing off. _I__'__m __going __to __marry __him_, she decided as she skidded to a stop.

Back where she'd come from, there was a large explosion, punctuated by the feeling of Itachi's chakra spiking. She scowled.

_And __then __I__'__m __going __to __murder __him_.

xXx

Normally, tradition states that the man should ask the woman to wed. In the Uchiha family, tradition tends to get cranky. With the announced engagement of Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura, tradition took a backseat to determination and stalkerish tendencies, swapped spit with true love and a reversal of roles, then ran away with a spoon. Or something.

And then Uchiha Fugaku demanded that Sakura break their engagement, right there in the middle of the hospital, with the eyes of everyone she knew on them. Including Itachi's, but she didn't know he was stalking her again.

"No," she said flatly, and walked away.

Not that this did much. In fact, it did so little that he actually had the audacity to follow her into a patient's room, ranting about how she was foolish, weak, stupid and he had no idea how she was even a medic. Her temper cracked when he implied that she was a slut.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" she snarled, whirling to face him. (On the bed, Shisui straightened and paid close attention.) "You did _not_ just say that I've slept with too many men to keep track of." He rallied quickly and merely gave her an obstinate, ego-filled look down his nose. Her eyes narrowed. "_Ino_!"

The blonde appeared after half a second, poking her head through the door. Then she had an evil grin on her face. "Ye-es, Sakura-chan?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm taking the afternoon off to educate Uchiha-san in the proper way to treat his son's fiancee. Please notify Shizune," Sakura bit out.

"Of course, Sakura-chan," Ino replied (frankly, Fugaku had been giving her grief too). She trotted off.

The pink-haired kunoichi prodded her fiance's father in the chest hard, expression stormy. "You. Me. My house. Half an hour."

The Uchiha's smug look fell away. She could see the bewilderment. He was thinking _her __house__? __Why __her __house_? She smiled. "You're having lunch with me, Uchiha Fugaku. And if you don't want to come, the entire village will know what a coward you are."

She watched his face as the pieces fell into place. Ino had seen them. She had _told_ Ino she was doing something. If he didn't comply, Ino would tell _everyone_, unprompted. _Everyone_.

"I... O-of course..."

"Splendid!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek, just to top it off, and practically skipped from the hospital.

Itachi was waiting at her house. "Lunch?" he asked, staring at her. "And you kissed him."

"I'm going to make him hurt, Itachi," she replied, deadpan. "I will _get_ him where it hurts. His _fucking_ ego." She winked. "Care to join us?"

"I shall make a tactical retreat and show up for my sparring match with Kakashi-san," he replied, and shook his head. "Good luck. Let me know how it goes?"

When he kissed her, she smiled. "Yeah."

xXx

Fugaku showed up with his wife, who eyed Sakura without expression. Sakura had suspected he'd bring back-up, so she had some of her own. "Fugaku-san! Uchiha-sama. Please. Come in," she chirped, swinging the door open wide.

"Oh!" Mikoto gasped, eyes widening slightly at Sakura's guest.

"Please, I believe you know my best friend, Naruto?" Sakura said, gesturing toward the blond, who grinned sheepishly and waved. His mouth was already full.

"O-oh... Yes, Sakura-san," Mikoto said, and then smiled at her. "Of course. He and Sasuke-san are hardly ever apart."

Naruto managed to swallow his food, and got up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "He-ey, Missus Uchiha! Er, bastard's dad." He waved again.

Fugaku twitched, and then composed himself. "Uzumaki," he gritted out. "I was not aware you were inviting another guest, _Haruno__-__san_."

Green eyes blinked at him innocently. "I wasn't aware my invitation was 'plus one', Fugaku-san."

The 'plus one' bit back a smile. Touche. Beside her, her husband sniffed. "And where is Itachi?"

"Sparring, I've been told," Sakura returned. "Please, come sit down, both of you. I made plenty of food."

At their skeptical looks, she shrugged. "Okay, I ordered it all from Ichiraku. I hope you don't mind ramen."

"Of course not, Sakura-san," Mikoto said, as her husband opened his mouth. "We don't mind at all. Thank you for going to so much trouble."

"You're quite welcome, Uchiha-sama... do you mind if I call you Mikoto?" Sakura asked, leading them to the table.

The Uchiha matriarch shook her head. "Not at all. After all, you _are_ my future daughter-in-law."

Naruto snickered suddenly. "You okay, Uchiha? You look like you swallowed a mouse," he said, with a grin that said he knew very well that Fugaku _wasn__'__t_ okay, and that he wasn't about to fix it.

The Uchiha patriarch did indeed look a bit cross eyed. What had he just gotten himself into?

xXx

Sakura was awoken much later, after an exhausting lunch using social niceties and political shop-talk, by the gentle, firm press of fingers into the muscles of her shoulders. She melted a little and turned her head to peer at her lover. He knelt beside her, fingers working magic on her back. She was still on the couch, where she'd flopped down on her stomach after the Uchiha couple and Naruto had left.

"Hey," she grunted.

"Mm." He dropped his hands and watched her sit up. "So?"

She grinned. "I think I appropriately mortified your father, but your mother is an amazing woman. I like her."

The Uchiha grinned faintly at that. "Me too. She visits a lot." He leaned down and pressed an awkward kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"I love you."

And with that, he froze, halfway between sitting straight and leaning down. They both knew it. It was obviously true... but neither had actually said it in so many words.

Sakura sat up, lips pulling downward, suddenly unsure. He was staring at her, and she wasn't sure if she was right, and he knew, and he loved her too... She swallowed. "I... Itachi? Say something."

"... I love you too," he whispered, and gave her a tiny smile. Then it grew, and grew, and she relaxed when he was grinning at her.

_Knew __it__!_

xXx

"... you may now kiss the bride," Fugaku said, deadpan. It was hardly necessary, since Itachi had already grabbed his new wife and dragged her close enough that it was a wonder they weren't one person.

Around them, Sakura's friends and family - new and old - broke into loud cheers, catcalls and random outbursts of throwing confetti (and in one case, a large ink lion roaring into the sky). She eventually broke away, laughing uncontrollably, as Naruto carted her husband away with an arm around his neck.

She didn't have time to worry, since Ino and Hinata had already latched onto her, Mikoto right behind them. "Congratulations, Missus Uchiha!" the blonde cheered.

"Thanks, Missus Uchiha," Sakura retorted, ducking out of her best friend's embrace. Then she came back up grinning, and noted that across the hall, Itachi hadn't managed to escape the future Hokage's headlock. Or the noogie that shortly followed.

"Congrats, Sakura-chan," Hinata added timidly, giving her a quick hug.

The Uchiha matriarch snagged her next, smiling widely. "It'll be wonderful to have another new daughter around. Now go, dancing is soon. You and Itachi must start!" She spun the pink-haired bride around, giving her a gentle push - minding her trailing white dress. Shikamaru shoved Itachi her way on the other side of the room.

They met in the center, the music starting as soon as they had, and she grinned at him. "May I have this dance?" he murmured, eyes sparkling.

"You may," she said, and laughed when he dragged her into another kiss. It was going to be an amazing life.

_~owari~_


End file.
